IT TAKES no calendar to tell you it’s February. There are enough giddy young adults at every café and gifts shop, making it clear that it’s the month of Saint Valentine. However, I wish I could say that matters of the heart plague only the young. They don’t; at least not according to the medical journal I flipped through lately. One such article contained such alarming data that I had to delve deeper into the topic. Figures seem to state that heart disease is the single-largest cause of death in India. Reportedly, heart attacks are responsible for one-third of all deaths caused by heart diseases. Finally, the death knell: according to a joint paper published by the World Health Organisation and the Indian Council of Medical Research, by 2020 India will become the world's heart attack, diabetes and hypertension capital. If our lives were made into a film, then we know who would play the villain. At DW, we believe we know who would play the valiant hero — Dr Devi Shetty. The iconic cardiac surgeon and visionary-cum-entrepreneur behind heart centres and health cities all over India, has been fighting for our health for years now. Not only has he improved medical facilities for those who can afford it, Dr Shetty — and thus he’s twice the hero — has made heart surgery affordable for India’s poor and rural people: a solid 60 per cent of our population. While talking to him, we were struck by his positivity; he’s upbeat about life and people and has an unshakable faith in both. Yet, he’s not just a dreamer but a doer. He takes the economy of scale and makes it work to his advantage — in the face of all cynical questions and raised eyebrows. If there is a man who has democratised the medical sector, it is Dr Shetty. In fact, if the world’s looking for a new Saint Valentine, our vote is with him. Read about his incredible journey and how he sees India’s large population not as a hindrance, but as an advantage. Since we are harping on the heart after all, DW decided to take a closer look at a topic that is causing much heartburn among India’s policymakers: its FDI policy. With the “will-they, won’t-they” game on, Democratic World decided to see if the entry of multibrand chains would create new jobs or close doors for India’s small-time farmers and shop-owners. Join the discussion as we bring you opinions from both sides of the fence. A quick note of thanks for your overwhelming response to the FDI poll we pasted on our Facebook page. And thank you again for writing to us with your inputs; we hope you keep reading and responding to DW. Have a great month and be good to your heart.
